Reports on the Mahdi

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I give you glad tidings of the Mahdi. He will be sent at a time of disagreement, he will be sent at a time of disagreement among people and of earthquakes. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it had been filled with tyranny and oppression. The dwellers of the heavens and the dwellers of the earth will be pleased with him, and he will distribute wealth properly. A man said to him: What is meant by properly? He said: Equally among the people. And Allah Almighty will fill the hearts of the Ummah of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) with contentment, and his justice will suffice for them, until he orders a caller, and the caller will announce and say: Does anyone need wealth? Only one man from among the people will stand up and say: I (need it). The Mahdi will say: Go to the treasurer and say to him: The Mahdi orders you to give me wealth. That man will say this to him, and the treasurer will say: Fill up with both your hands. He will fill them, then out of regret he will say: Am I the greediest of the Ummah of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? Or why does what suffices for them not suffice for me? Then he will want to return that wealth, but it will not be accepted from him, and it will be said to him: We do not take back what we have given. So the Mahdi will rule in this way for seven years, or eight years, or nine years; then after him there will be no good in living (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are:) after him there will be no good in life." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Al-Tirmidhi and others recorded it in greatly abridged form.
Ahmad recorded it with various chains, and Abu Ya'la in greatly abridged form; the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is reported from him that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "At the time of the breaking off of the age and the appearance of trials, a man will emerge called al-Saffah, and he will give wealth in double handfuls."
Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains the narrator Atiyyah al-Awfi, and he is da'if (weak), though Yahya bin Ma'in declared him trustworthy; the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

This saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported from him: "The ruler of my Ummah will be a man from my Household, with a high-bridged nose and a bright complexion. He will fill the earth with justice just as it had been filled with tyranny and oppression, and he will rule for seven years."
Abu Ya'la recorded it; its chain contains the narrator Adi bin Abi Umarah, about whom al-Uqayli says: There is idtirab (inconsistency) in his narrations; the rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Qurrah bin Iyas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The earth will certainly be filled with tyranny and oppression, and when it is filled with tyranny and oppression, Allah Almighty will send a man from among us whose name will be the same as my name and whose father's name will be the same as my father's name. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it had been filled with tyranny and oppression. At that time the sky will not withhold anything of its rain, and the earth will not withhold anything of its vegetation. That ruler will remain among you for seven, eight or nine years (this doubt is the narrator's)."
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, through Dawud bin al-Muhabbar bin Qahdham from his father, and both of them are da'if (weak).

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allegiance will be pledged to a man between the Black Stone (the Corner) and the Station of Ibrahim, by a number of people equal to the number of the people of Badr. Then the bands of the people of Iraq will come to him, and the abdal of the people of Syria will come to him, and an army from the people of Syria will come to fight them; when they reach al-Bayda', they will be swallowed up by the earth. Then a man from Quraysh whose maternal relatives are from the Banu Kalb will fight them; the two armies will meet, and Allah Almighty will rout the enemy. The loser will be the one who loses out on the spoils of Kalb." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: A part of this report is narrated in the Sahih.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir in abridged form; its chain contains the narrator Imran al-Qattan, whom Ibn Hibban declared trustworthy and a group declared da'if (weak); the rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

It is reported from Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The king of the East will march against the king of the West and kill him. Then he will send an army to Madinah, and they will be swallowed up by the earth. Then he will send (another) army, and it will forget some people of Madinah. And one seeking refuge will take refuge in the Sanctuary, and people will gather to him the way scattered birds come (to water), until three hundred and fourteen men, among them some women, gather to him. Then he will overpower every tyrant and son of a tyrant, and he will establish such justice that the living will wish for their dead (to have seen it). He will live for seven years, then after that (a time will come) when what is beneath the earth will be better than what is above it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains the narrator Layth bin Abi Sulaym, and he is a mudallis (one who obscures his sources); the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Disagreement will arise at the death of a caliph. Then a man from Banu Hashim will come forth and come to Makkah. People will compel him to leave his house; he will come between the Black Stone and the Station of Ibrahim. Then an army from Syria will come to fight him, until, when they reach the place of al-Bayda', they will be swallowed up by the earth. Then the troops of Iraq and the Abdal of Syria will come to him. Then a man will appear in Syria whose maternal uncles are from Banu Kalb; his army will come (to fight the Mahdi), and Allah Almighty will rout them, and those people will be defeated, and on that day Banu Kalb will be defeated. The loser is the one who misses out on the spoils of Banu Kalb. Then the treasures will be opened up, and he (that is, the Mahdi) will distribute the wealth and give Islam dominance on the earth, and the people will live in that state for seven years (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are:) nine years."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The deprived one is the person who is deprived of the spoils of Banu Kalb."
Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, who is weak.

It is narrated from him that he said: My intimate friend, Sayyiduna Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him), told me: "The Hour will not be established until a man from my household comes out against those people and strikes them until they return to the truth. The narrator says: I asked: How long will he rule? He said: Five and two. The narrator says: I asked my teacher: What is meant by five and two? He replied: I do not know."
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains al-Murajja bin Raja', whom Abu Zur'ah declared thiqah (trustworthy) and Yahya bin Ma'in declared da'if (weak). The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Some people will come from the direction of the east, intending to reach a man near the House (of Allah), until, when they reach the place of al-Bayda', they will be swallowed up by the earth. When those behind them catch up with them, the same thing that befell them will befall them too. I said: O Messenger of Allah! What will become of the one who was brought by force? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The calamity that befalls the others will befall them too, and then Allah Almighty will raise every individual according to his intention."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Salamah bin al-Fadl al-Abrash, whom Yahya bin Ma'in and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), while a group declared him da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: Once the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was lying down in my house when suddenly he (peace and blessings be upon him) started up and sat (upright) and began to recite "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return)." I said: May my father and mother be ransomed for you! What is the matter; why are you reciting the istirja' (Inna lillahi)? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Because of an army of my Ummah that will come from the direction of Syria, heading for the House (of Allah), (to seize) a man who will be opposing and resisting them, until, when they reach (the place of) al-Bayda' near Dhu al-Hulayfah, they will be swallowed up by the earth, while their intentions and circumstances differ." I said: O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be ransomed for you, how will they all be swallowed up together when their intentions and purposes differ? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(Yes! But) among them will be some who were brought under compulsion, among them will be some who were brought under compulsion, among them will be some who were brought under compulsion (so on the Day of Resurrection all will be raised according to their intentions)."
Abu Ya'la (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded it, and its chain contains Ali bin Zayd bin Jud'an, who is hasan al-hadith (fair in hadith), though there is some weakness in him.

With the same chain, a similar report is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sleeping in the house of Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her). When he woke up, he began reciting "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return)." I said: O Messenger of Allah! For what reason were you reciting "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un"? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Because of an army that will come from the direction of Iraq in search of a man from Madinah, and they will not be allowed to reach that man. When they reach the place of al-Bayda' at Dhu al-Hulayfah, they will be swallowed up by the earth; those at the top of them will not reach those at the bottom, and those at the bottom will not reach those at the top. It will be so until the Day of Resurrection, even though their purposes in coming differ. It was said: O Messenger of Allah! Will all of them be swallowed up, when the purposes of all of them in coming differ? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Among them will be people who were subjected to compulsion."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains Hisham bin al-Hakam, and I do not know him, except that Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned him and neither criticised him nor declared him trustworthy. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Black banners will come from the direction of the east, and horses will wade in blood up to their chests." After this the narrator mentioned the full hadith. Its chain contains Yazid bin Abi Ziyad, who is weak. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), mentioning the Mahdi, said: "If his period is short, it will be seven years; otherwise eight years; otherwise nine years. And he will surely fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it had been filled with oppression and injustice before."
Al-Bazzar recorded it; its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), and there is some weakness in some of its narrators.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There will be a caliph in my Ummah who will give people wealth in handfuls; he will not count it. Then he said: By the One in whose Hand my soul is! Those people will do so again (that is, they will ask or take more)."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Soon there will be such a tribulation that whenever one side of it becomes calm, the other side will flare up, until a caller from the sky will announce: Your leader is so-and-so."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Muthanna bin al-Sabbah, who is matruk (abandoned); according to one report Yahya bin Ma'in declared him thiqah (trustworthy), and he also declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he submitted to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! Will the Mahdi be from us, or from some family other than ours? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, rather he will be from us. Through us Allah Almighty will bring it to a close, just as through us Allah Almighty began it; through us people were rescued from shirk (associating partners with Allah), and through us Allah Almighty created affection among people after open enmity, just as He created mutual affection in people's hearts after the enmity of shirk. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: Will they be believers or disbelievers? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: They will be afflicted by tribulation, and they will be disbelievers.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Amr bin Jabir al-Hadrami, who is a kadhdhab (liar).

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In the last age there will be a tribulation that will sift people the way gold is extracted from ore. Do not revile the people of Syria; rather revile the wicked among them, for among them are the Abdal. Soon trials will be sent upon the people of Syria, and they will scatter their unity, until, if even foxes attacked them, they would overcome them. At that time a man from my household will come forth with three banners. Whoever thinks their number is large will say: They are fifteen thousand; and whoever says their number is small will say: Twelve thousand. Their particular watchword will be 'Kill! Kill!' They will face seven banners, under each of which will be a man seeking rule, and he will kill them all, and the Muslims' affection and blessing will be restored to every one of them, near and far."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, who is weak. The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The Mahdi will be in my Ummah. If his period is short, it will be seven years, or eight years, or nine years. During that period my Ummah will receive blessings such as they will never have received before. Torrential rain will descend from the sky, the earth will not hold back any of its vegetation, and wealth will be abundant. A man will stand up and say: O Mahdi, give me something; and he will say: Take."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "A man will come forth from my Ummah who will speak according to my Sunnah. Allah Almighty will send down rain for him from the sky, and Allah Almighty will make the earth grow its blessings for him. The earth will be filled with justice and fairness just as it had been filled with oppression before. He will rule this Ummah for seven years, and he will reside in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem)." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah recorded this report in abridged form.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among some of the Muhajirun and Ansar. Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was on his left and Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was on his right. Meanwhile, an argument broke out between Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and a man from the Ansar, and the Ansari used harsh words against Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of the hands of Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: From the descendants of this one a man will come forth who will fill the earth with oppression and injustice, and from the descendants of this one a man will come forth who will fill the earth with justice and fairness. When you see this situation, it is incumbent upon you to stay with the young man of the Tamim tribe, for he will come from the direction of the east, and he will be the standard-bearer of the Mahdi.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, in whom there is weakness; however,
this report is munkar (denounced), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not confront anyone to his face with something he disliked, and especially his uncle Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), about whom he (peace and blessings be upon him) said that he is like his father. And Allah knows best.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Harith bin Jaz' al-Zubaydi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A people will come forth from the direction of the east who will pave the way for the Mahdi's rule."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Amr bin Jabir, who is a kadhdhab (liar). (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: The hadith narrated by Ali al-Hilali concerning the Mahdi will come later in the chapter on the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet's household), if Allah wills.